When Moonlight rises
by melissast1991
Summary: When Sarah finds herself back in the castle Beyond the Goblin City 15 years after her run, The Goblin King has some explaining to do. Political intrigue, a dark secret, and an ancient rite draw Sarah back to the Underground. Will she cling to mortal life? Or will she find something worth remaining for?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Hi all, Let me know what you think of this first chapter and I will continue if there is interest for it! Obviously, I own nothing.

"I have no idea what to do with the girl." a voice rang out into the hallway from the throne room. "I'm at wits end and I cannot find it in myself to speak with her" The voice continued, exasperation, frustration and a hint of something akin to fear in the words. Despite the tone, the words flowed from the speaker like molten honey, sweet and hotly dangerous.

"You chose this, and you have the power to end it at any time. Simply enter her as a participant and she becomes someone else's headache" Another voice responded, this one distinctly female, with just the smallest lilt of amusement coloring the words.

"You know I won't do that" The male voice responded, defeat and in his tone now.

"You buy yourself too much misery with this girl, and a mortal. You certainly know how to cause yourself trouble brother." The voice was softer now, carrying a note of concern "You could always simply explain the situation to her, perhaps she would find your company preferable to the alternative."

"Oh yes, and a fine conversation that would be. I can hear it now 'Dearest Sarah, allow me to explain to you why you have been locked in the castle beyond the Goblin city. You see, by Fae rule you became part of the court the moment you beat my Labyrinth, and now as a subject of the High Court you must either stay here with me or be entered into a competition whose specifics and consequences you are completely ignorant of' I'm certain that will go over wonderfully Ariadne"

"Then explain the competition to her in full" Ariadne replied in exasperation.

"And if she chooses to enter the competition? I cannot risk that. I stand to lose too much if she is entered" the male voice responded. "You know the title she holds is tied to the Kingdom, if she were to be entered it could compromise our sovereignty and give any number of other claimants a chance to strengthen their hold on our lands."

"Then bed her, make her ineligible" Ariadne responded tartly. "Regardless, you must make a decision soon brother, before the High court comes knocking down the door"

"I cannot simply b…" The words were cut off when a dark haired tempest twirled into the room, hair flying, heavy boots stomping the stone floors, green eyes flashing with anger and outrage.

"Excuse me?! You come within 5 feet of me and I will castrate you Goblin King!" The dark haired woman cried, pointing an accusing finger towards the man, whose eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Ariadne slid between her brother and the infuriated brunette with practiced ease and held up her hands in a gesture of supplication. "We were just discussing-"

"Rape is what you were discussing" Sarah shot back, her voice growing in volume while bile rose in the back of her throat.

"You misunderstand, Sarah, allow me to-" The Goblin King broke in, stepping around Ariadne and placing his hand on Sarah's shoulder.

His hand was still covered by his black gloves, but the touch sent shivers down Sarah's arm even as her ire and panic continued to grow. "No, Send me home Goblin King! For my will is as strong as yours, and my Kingdom as great, I demand you send me home!" her voice was touched with more than a bit of panic now, but she could not help the desperate note that crept through the anger in her voice as she violently yanked her shoulder out of reach of the Goblin King. Her heart pounded, her throat was dry, and despite her anger, she could feel tears threatening to well in her eyes.

Two weeks ago she had been living her life, going to her job as a publishing agent and spending her spare time volunteering as a director for her local high school theater, where Toby was currently a Sophomore. She gone to sleep after feeding her cat Ludo and had woken up to find the Goblin King towering over her from the side of her bed. He said nothing, but the next instant she found herself in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, and had not been allowed to leave since. No explanation, no conversation.

For the last two weeks Sarah had wandered the castle looking for him, cursing his name and demanding to be returned home. On the first day a small goblin had given her a short tour of the castle, showing her the way to the kitchens and other necessary areas, but when Sarah asked him to take her to the King, he shook his head 'No' so fast his batty ears whipped around his head and he fell. And so it was with everyone she met. Every time she asked, yelled, demanded, whispered, cajoled or attempted to coerce the goblins in the castle to take her to the king, they refused. The doors to the outside of the castle seemed to lock themselves in front of her every time she tried to leave. At attempt to jump out of a first floor window only transported her back to the small room she had been given as a living chamber. For two weeks she had explored the castle, and eventually resorted to hiding behind columns outside the throne room, figuring that eventually he would need to visit this room if nowhere else in the castle. And she was right.

Which led her back to her current situation, staring down the Goblin King and his female companion, apparently his sister. Much like her brother she had long blonde hair, and unlike him, both of her eyes were a light sky blue. Ariadne held her hair back from her forehead in a simple, sleek braid that ran most of the way down her back, and wore a pair of black breeches tucked into calf height brown boots. She wore a brown corseted style jerkin with a sky blue shirt underneath. Overall giving the impression of a pirate more than a princess, though she sported a large amulet around her neck, and the braid that hung down her back was hung here and there with tiny white pearls. She was stunning, and her face clearly showed how taken aback she was by the fierceness of Sarah's emotion. She composed herself quickly and took a step away from the enraged mortal, taking her brothers hand and drawing him back a few steps with her, trying to show the girl that they meant her no harm.

"Sarah, my name is Ariadne, please, take a seat and we will try to explain…" Ariadne was more shocked by what happened next than she should have been. The mortal girl began to cry. Shaking in rage and desperation and looking from her to her brother while tears spilled from her eyes, she said "Let me go home, please"


	2. Chapter 2

AN: A little more information in this chapter. Obviously I own nothing, reviews feed the soul.

CHAPTER 2

The Goblin King was shocked by the tears suddenly streaming down Sarah's enraged face. He had known that avoiding her as he had been would upset her, but he never imagined it would cause her this much distress. He had imagined facing her rage and indignation, but not this desperation, not this fear.

"Precious…" He began, and her eyes snapped to his, burning emerald embers into his vision. "I regret that I cannot do that." He firmed his voice and stiffened his spine against the crying woman in front of him. "If you would like to take a seat, we can discuss the matter" He continued, curling his hand around the crystal that had materialized there and conjuring 3 chairs, one for his sister, and one for Sarah, and one for himself, the chairs were padded and comfortable, conjured from their usual places in the castle library. He eschewed his throne purposefully, not wanting to sit on the raised dais, but rather sat in one of the comfortable library chairs leaning forward with his fingers steepled together pensively.

Ariadne sat in one remaining chair and beckoned Sarah to sit in the other, while swirling her other hand in a fluid gesture that had a small table appearing between them, laden with fruit, various breads and cheeses. Sarah eyed the food suspiciously and with hunger, but did not dare eat any of it. She had so far eaten only what she had watched the goblins bring into the kitchen themselves, she wanted no dreams of ballrooms and puffy dresses this visit. She did however, take a seat next to Ariadne, farthest from the Goblin King.

The Goblin King took a few moments to truly observe her now that she was in front of him, having not taken the time when he whisked her from her bedchamber two weeks previous. Her dark chestnut hair was still long, but not the untamed tresses of her youth. It fell to just past her shoulders and hung loosely, disheveled by her days of stalking his throne room, but not uncared for. Her eyes were tired, but their emerald luminescence was no less brilliant for the purple circles under them from lack of good sleep. Her garb was simple, a long red skirt and cream tunic with flat sandals from her own wardrobe. He had returned to her apartment the day after retrieving her and brought some of the clothing back to the castle. Her face and body had filled out, and no longer had the gawky awkwardness of her teenage years. At 30 years old Sarah was entering her prime. Confident and self assured, and still completely unaware of her own beauty, she carried it like an accessory that was easily forgotten. Unfortunately, that was part of the problem.

Ariadne saw the way her brother looked at Sarah, and thought to herself that it was not simply concern for the kingdom that made him so hesitant to accept if the girl chose to enter the competition.

Sarah gave an unladylike sniff before wiping her eyes on the handkerchief Ariadne held out to her. She looked from Ariadne to the Goblin King expectantly before looking the King in the eye again and he stared back, his one brown eye and one blue eye met hers and she was startled by the surge of power she felt in his gaze. And shocked at the concern she saw in his eyes. She knew this might be her only chance at an explanation from him, and she knew she needed her voice to be heard.

"Goblin King, you kidnapped me from my home. My family does not know where I am, I have been unable to pay my bills, attend my job, or contact anybody who might be concerned for me. I have been held here against my will for two weeks and you have not deigned to speak to me about the reason why, and I want an explanation for this, and for the conversation I just overheard, after which I want to be sent home." Her voice was unsteady and still choked by tears, but it was also firm and she spoke without flinching.

The Goblin King flinched at the tone of her voice, and realized for the first time the implications of this situation on Sarah's life Aboveground. He had made a grave miscalculation in not speaking to her before now, and he had only his own cowardice to blame for it. He had no idea how to rectify this mistake, though he had more experience than many of his peers in dealing with mortals, he still did not fully understand the implications of their world or culture. Ariadne looked from her brother to his guest, before speaking up.

"I am sorry for my brothers negligent behavior, I do not think he had thought about the other implications his actions may have had, and hard as it may be to believe, I believe he acted in what he believed to be your, and his, best interest." Ariadne spoke in a soft voice and Sarah's eyes moved from her brothers to meet hers.

"Explain to me how any of this could be in my best interest" Sarah snapped back, immediately regretting her tone with Ariadne, who flinched at her harsh tone.

"It is hard to know where to begin Precious" The Goblin King began, leaning forward and plucking an apple and a knife from the table in front of him and cutting a slice from it, popping it into his mouth. He watched Sarah's hungry and suspicious gaze as he did so. He made a great show if chewing and swallowing the bite of apple before placing the knife back on the table and offering the remainder of the apple to Sarah.

"I promise you Sarah, I am no more pleased by this than you are, and I have no ill intentions towards you. I have no intention of enchanting you by magic, you are no longer a runner." He watched the wheels turn in Sarah's head as her hunger battled with her suspicion. She reached out cautiously and took the proffered fruit, not allowing their hands to touch as she did. She bit into the apple and almost groaned in ecstasy at the fruit hit her tongue. She remained suspicious however, of his motives.

"Explain yourself Goblin King" She demanded, the tears gone now, the furrows they left on her cheeks drying into nothingness. Finally, finally some answers. "I haven't heard or seen anything from you in years, since I ran the Labyrinth. I'm a grown woman, my brother is almost grown himself, what could you possibly want with us?"

"Not Toby, only you Sarah" The Goblin King replied softly.

"When you ran the Labyrinth, and beat it, by the laws of my people, you were given power, and a title within the Fae realm. But because you said your right words, I had no power to come to you, no power in your life at all. Which it seemed you preferred." The slight note of bitterness in his voice was missed by Sarah, but not by the silent Ariadne.

"That was years ago, why now? What is going on? And what in the hell does it have to do with...with...bedding me?" Sarah demanded, her voice growing in anger again. The Goblin King flinched and was silent.

Ariadne spoke "It would not have mattered Sarah, you should have been able to continue your mortal life as you had, without interference. Unfortunately, we are entering a period of time which is, for the Fae, very rare. Because of the rarity of this event, and the unfortunate timing, you have been deemed eligible to participate, and eligible is often the same as mandated in case of the Fae high court."

"None of this makes any sense, what are you talking about?" Sarah asked, her anger subsiding now that she was at least being spoken to as an equal and given some semblance of answers to her many questions.

"Time moves differently here than Aboveground, and not only when my brother meddles with it" Ariadne said, glancing disapprovingly at her brother, who only shrugged.

"Here, a season may last decades of your mortal time, sometimes centuries. This matters little to us, as we do not age as mortals do. But when Spring comes to the Underground, to the realms, the Fae gather and eligible individuals are...spoken for. If an individual is spoken for by more than one person, a competition takes place to determine the victor.

Now, mostly, who is spoken for by whom is decided beforehand, either by virtue of a love match, or a political alliance. In cases like yours however, there are likely to be multiple individuals attempting to make a claim."

"I am not a piece of meat at a damn deli counter, and I refuse to participate in such an antiquated, humiliating, and sexist event!" Sarah cried in indignation.

"Eligible participants who refuse are often forced to participate." The Goblin King stated softly, his eyes regretful.

"Sarah, our people are not monsters. This competition was put into place to keep the Fae from dying out. We saw the need for all those able to conceive to try to do so, in order for the species to continue." The Goblin King looked into Sarah's eyes and willed her to understand.

"I'm not Fae, why does this concern me?" She glared reproachfully at him "It isn't fair"

"When was it ever?" He muttered.

"When you beat the Labyrinth and were granted power here, and a title, it also created a connection to the Underground, and to our realms. Given enough time here, you would become one of us. It is another way we have sought to preserve our magic and our line. Mingling our blood with that of mortals who earned the right to be called our equals." Ariadne stated, her voice not unkind.

"What makes me eligible? Is it because I'm an unmarried woman?" Sarah asked, looking at Ariadne and pointedly refusing to meet the Goblin Kings eyes.

"Yes and No. Eligible means you are of fertile age, healthy, mentally competent...and virginal." Ariadne avoided her gaze at the last word.

"How do you know that!? Thats none of ANYONE's business!" Sarah screeched in embarrassment.

"We would not have known precious, but the eligible are revealed through a ritual when the time of the competition comes close. That was the source of the...less savory part of conversation that you overheard." The Goblin King did not meet Sarah's eyes.

"So, if I weren't...you know… wouldn't be eligible?" Sarah asked, her voice pinched.

"Yes" Ariadne stated matter of factly. "You can at any time chose to end your dealings with this matter if you are willing to be bedded by any man...or woman, should your inclination be in that direction."

"I...I can't do that" Sarah stammered. "There must be another way, I need to go home, my brother needs me, my work needs me, my cat.." Sara clung to straws, not wanting to see the pity in the Goblin Kings eyes.

The Kings heart broke for Sarah, and he vowed to do all he could to right his mistake of not speaking to her sooner.

"Why did you bring me here? Why not just come to me and explain what was going on before now?" Sarah asked accusingly, swinging her gaze around to land on the Goblin King.

"I could not risk you being left in the mortal realm to be...claimed by another with ill intentions on my kingdom. Either by speaking for you in the competition, or by...compromising your eligibility against your will. My kingdom is not vast, but it is powerful within our realms and there are many who would seek to either hold that power for themselves, or usurp it." The Goblin King said.

"I do however, regret that I did not speak to you. I simply...I did not know how to approach you, and I allowed my cowardice to stop me from coming to you. Time moves so much differently for us, the span of two mortal weeks is a blink to me, and I did not think that so much of your life in the mortal realm might be effected. I apologize for my misjudgment."

"I don't know that I can forgive you for this Goblin King. But, I understand...sort of." Sarah said.

"Sarah, what can my brother do to mitigate the damage he has caused you?" Ariadne asked, glancing at her brother, whose expression had turned glacial, hiding his pain.

"I need to speak with my family, and my job, assuming I haven't lost it yet. I need to go home Goblin King." Sarah spoke with tired conviction. "I understand the position you are in, but I can't just cut and run from my entire life to sort this mess out."

The Goblin King nodded his head slowly, thinking for a moment before speaking carefully. "Would it be acceptable then, for me to accompany you back to the Aboveground for a day, so that you might settle your accounts for the time being, and notify those who would be concerned for your well being?"

"How would I do that? I can tell my parents and Toby I'm being called away for work, but I can't very well make accommodations for my entire life for an indefinite period of time financially Goblin King. I work as a publishing agent, I'm not exactly flush with cash."

"That can be arranged for fairly easily. I have enough dealings with mortals that I have access to funds I believe would be acceptable for that purpose until such time as you either return to your mortal life, or remain here permanently." The Goblin King replied.

"I want one more thing" Sarah demanded.

"Yes?" The Goblin King asked, raising one eyebrow.

"My cat. I want my cat here with me." Sarah replied, daring him with her eyes to say no to her request.

"Fine, but I'd keep the thing well away from the goblins were I you. They get far too interested in new creatures." He replied.

Ariadne stood up from her chair and stretched her arms above her head. "I'm glad so much of this has been sorted out. We will receive a date for the competition 3 days hence brother. I will deliver the message in person if I can." Ariadne took her brothers hand and drew him into a brief hug.

"Sarah, I will escort you to your rooms if you like." Ariadne drew the girl to her feet.

"I will meet you here in the morning, and we will go set your affairs in order." The Goblin King looked as though he wished to say more, but swept from the room, black cloak billowing out behind him as he did.

"Come Sarah" Ariadne led Sarah down the now familiar hallways towards where she knew her bed chamber to be.

"What are your thoughts on my brother?" She asked innocently, shifting her eyes towards Sarah to look at her more fully.

"I don't know. I hadn't thought of him in years until he kidnapped me from my bed. I'm certainly glad he is willing to help me get my life sorted out while we figure out this mess. Otherwise I'll have nothing to go back to when this is all over." Sarah replied, missing the small frown from the other woman. 'liar' her inner voice chorused back at her as she avoided Ariadne's gaze.

The two women arrived at the plain oak door that marked her bed chamber and Ariadne turned to Sarah.

"I will take my leave. But think on this Sarah. There may be no going back to the Aboveground. My bother is a bachelor, and the High King and Queen have long hoped he would marry. You carry much power here, though it has not yet manifested itself. You could do worse than him if you find yourself in a position where the competition cannot be avoided."

"I'm mortal, he wouldn't have me as his queen, even if I were willing to stay. Besides, I heard you trying to convince him to 'bed' me, and he refused rather vehemently" Sarah replied, somewhat taken aback by Ariadne's frankness.

"Being born mortal means little to him. He spends more time with mortals than most of us... And I would not take his reluctance as a rejection. Perhaps even quite the opposite." She said simply.

"Goodnight Sarah. With any luck I will see you 3 days hence." Ariadne gave Sarah a kind smile and turned to walk back down the hallway.

"Goodnight Ariadne" Sarah said before slipping into her bedchamber and closing the door.


	3. Chapter 3-Fixed!

CHAPTER 3

A/N Sorry Guys! Here is the (hopefully) fixed version. Not my toys, I'm just borrowing etc etc.

The next morning dawned early for Sarah. Who woke with the sun and dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans and a practical red boat neck top. She pulled her sandals onto her feet and started towards the winding hallway that led to her room. She ran her hands over the stone walls as she traversed the corridors towards the throne room. The faint purple smudges under her eyes that signaled a lack of sleep seemed deeper now, and Sarah's eyes ached with tiredness.

She tried to put her mind to the task at hand, deciding which business to attend to first, but her mind was playing games this morning. Showing her flashes of the dream that had caused her lack of sleep these many nights since returning to the castle beyond the Goblin City. Pale, smooth skin against her hands, a throaty whisper in her ear, and the phantom sensation of fingers whispering over her back were all she could remember. Yet she woke drenched in sweat, and sometimes panting with an unnamable need that settled in the pit of her stomach. She pushed the fragments of the dream away with a weary shake of her head. She didn't have time to entertain such dreams.

You might guess that a woman like Sarah would have no lack of attention from either sex, and indeed she did not lack for attention. What she seemed to lack was interest. Aside from a brief fling in her senior year of high school, Sarah had never dated. Her stepfather and her mother had both tried speaking with her, cajoling her, and both were rebuffed. She pushed away thoughts of carnal desire with such force that one would think that the thoughts caused her physical pain. These dreams, these nightmares, were pleasurable, but terrible for Sarah to think on and her mind denied her even a glimpse of the face of the man haunting her dreams.

Sarah arrived at the throne room and pushed the door open, hoping for a quiet moment before the Goblin King arrived to escort her Aboveground. Unfortunately, there would be no quiet moment. Already the Castle was bustling with life. Sarah narrowly ducked a chicken that went flying towards her head as she entered the throne room. Goblins of all shapes lounged about the throne room floor, some counting money, some kicking chickens about the floor as if it were a game. The chickens, used to this treatment, and seeming to be a hearty breed, simply allowed themselves to sail through the air and flap back to the ground with indignant clucking noises. In the midst of the chaos sat the Goblin King, dressed not in black armor and with no cape. Instead he wore a pair of black trousers, slim fit, but not as tightly fit as his usual clothing, much to Sarah's relief. He sported a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow, exposing pale forearms. The black gloves remained, and on his feet were, much to Sarah's surprise, a plain pair of black converse high top sneakers. The amulet about his neck remained, though all Sarah could see was its chain disappearing into his shirt. The markings around his eyes were gone, she assumed by magic. He lounged across his throne, legs perched on one armrest while he spoke to a Goblin who would have been around waist high to Sarah.

"See to it that nothing is out of order, I will be gone only for the day. I want the restoration and expansion of the eastern forest to continue as planned. I will be at the site tomorrow to inspect the work." The Goblin King spoke in a voice that managed to be both bored and authoritative. The Goblin nodded his head sharply and moved swiftly out of the throne room now that his audience with the king had concluded.

"Precious, are you prepared for the day? Would you like something to eat before we leave?" The Goblin King asked, beckoning her to approach his throne. Sarah moved towards him and climbed the dais, standing at his right side.

"I ate on my way this morning; can we get going? I bet Toby is beside himself" Sarah asked anxiously, pushing away the last remnants of her dream and focusing on the task at hand.

"As you wish" The Goblin King stood from his chair and offered her his arm. She took it with a moment of hesitation and noted how soft the skin of his forearm was under her hand. Unbidden, she wondered if his hands were as soft under their leather gloves. Before the thought could fully articulate itself the Goblin King dropped a crystal at their feet, and she abruptly felt as though the ground beneath them had shifted, which she guessed it had. She fell to the ground and landed flat on her back, dizzied and slightly nauseated by the disorienting feeling of traveling via crystal. The Goblin King, for his part, looked chagrined.

"I am unused to traveling with mortals, I forget how sensitive they are to magic if they are not used to it, my apologies" He said, offering her his hand, which she gratefully took and allowed him to easily pull her to her feet. His hand was warm in hers, and she wondered why he wore the gloves. He kept hold of her hand to steady her on her feet for a moment before letting go. Sarah took a moment to recognize where she was. A street just a block down from her parent's home. "I don't know how I'm going to explain you to them" Sarah said, torn between wanting to assuage her families concern and having no idea what to tell them.

"Tell them anything you like, I will follow your lead in matters today" He replied, keeping pace with her as they neared the house. Before they were 3 houses down the door flew open and a 6-foot blur streaked towards them wearing jeans and a gray t shirt. Toby grasped his sister by the arms and pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Sarah! Where have you been? I've been calling and Dad went to your apartment and said you weren't there!" the words rushed from Toby's mouth as she grasped him back hard, almost sobbing with relief. Yesterday she hadn't known if she would ever see him again.

"I'm sorry Tobes, I got called away for work and I haven't..haven't had cell reception" The excuse sounded lame to her own ears, but Toby's eyes betrayed no suspicion when he pulled away from her and began tugging her towards the house. "Mom and Dad have been going mental, they were totally about to call the police and report you missing!" It was now that Toby stopped, seeming to notice the man dressed all in black at his sister's side.

"Who is this?" He asked Sarah, looking pointedly at the man, recognition flaring in his eyes before uncertainty took over. The man looked so familiar, like someone he remembered seeing a long time ago. But that was silly, he probably only looked like some old musician or something.

"This is...Jordan, Jordan is a..client. A Client of mine, I've been helping him develop his book, that's where I've been" Sarah knew the lie sounded weak, but Toby only shrugged his shoulders and resumed his attempt to pull her into the house. The Goblin King raised his eyebrow at Sarah, but gave a surreptitious nod and kept pace with the two of them.

The door of the house opened again and Robert and Karen welcomed their daughter home. Sarah tried to hide the tears that welled in her eyes at the sight of them, and their warm embrace. She was so glad to see them, so happy to be able to let them know she was alright.

"Dad, Karen, I'm sorry I kind of dropped off the grid there for a second, but I've been with...Jordan, he's-"

"Don't tell me you've gone and eloped! Without even introducing us to your young man!" Karen exclaimed, causing the Goblin King to stifle a choked sound and Sarah to blush from head to toe.

"No, NO! Karen, no. Jordan is a client, I'm helping him put his novel together. We were in the neighborhood to...retrieve some of my stuff. I'm going to be staying near him in...Europe for a few weeks, maybe longer to help him with the publishing process. I wanted to drop by and let you know so that you don't worry. I'll come visit as often as I can" Sarah's face was still hot and she avoided the Goblin King's gaze. Her step mothers face fell a little, and Sarah knew she was hoping Sarah would have ended what Karen referred to as her 'stubbornness' about men.

"Are you sure that's wise sweetie, Europe is an awfully long ways away" Her father said, eyeing the Goblin King with a suspicious gaze.

"I assure you sir, I am finding your daughters help with my...novel...invaluable. I very much appreciate her assistance, and she is being well paid for her time." The Goblin King broke in. He held out his hand to Robert "Allow me to introduce myself properly, my name is Ja..Jordan King. I regret that I needed Sarah's assistance so urgently a few weeks past, but I found myself with little option, and she is the best publishing agent of whom I am aware." Robert eyed his gloved hand for a moment, until Karen elbowed him in the ribs and he stretched his own hand to the strange man and gave his hand a firm shake.

A huge furry mass decided at that point in the conversation to launch itself towards Sarah, twining itself around her legs with a deep purr rising in its throat. The big orange tom cat placed its paws on Sarah's knees and she picked him up, swinging him into her arms and burying her face in her fur. "Ludo!" She cried "What are you doing here?"

"I brought him back when I went to your apartment and found him almost out of food, really Sarah, you ought to have made arrangements for him before you left" Robert admonished, scratching the large cat behind its tufted ears.

"I'm taking him back with me dad, don't worry" Sarah said, kissing the big cats forehead and tucking his bulk into the crook of her arm.

"Well Mr. King, I hope you won't steal her away from us for too long!" Karen chirped, clearly charmed by the young man her step daughter found herself in the company of.. With any luck, she may yet have grandchildren from Sarah yet. The thought made her grin a little.

"So what is your book about?" Toby asked, still eyeing the Goblin King speculatively, unable to shake the feeling that he had seen this man before.

"Why...It's about Goblins." The Goblin King answered smoothly, watching carefully as Toby frowned and went silent. Inwardly, he wondered that the boy showed him any recognition at all.

For several more minutes, Sarah endured good natured questions from her father and step mother before finally moving back to the door in preparation for her departure.

"I promise I will call when I can, and I will visit as soon as I can." Sarah said, wrapping her arms around her brother one more time before she as in the Underground for who knew how long.

"If we don't hear from you at least once a week imma be mad at you" Toby said, squeezing her one last time before letting go.

Sarah looked sidelong at the Goblin King who nodded at Sarah. "I'll be sure to remind your sister to call, we can't have you angry with her now can we?" he responded.

The two of them took their leave, Sarah with Ludo, the big orange tom still tucked under her arm, occasionally squirming uncomfortably from being held for so long.


End file.
